Around Japan in 47 Curries: Tottori nashi pear
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Tom Baker (Chiba, 1989-91) is writing a 47-part series of posts on his Tokyo Tom Baker blog, in which he samples and comments on a curry from a different prefecture almost every week. Here’s an excerpt from his 13th installment, in which he reveals that Tottori Prefecture nashi pear curry has a cinematic connection:
In 1990, I went to the theater to see the movie “Ghost.” Patrick Swayze plays a murder victim, and Demi Moore plays his grieving girlfriend. The villain who arranged the murder wants to find out how much she knows, so he sets out to seduce her. In the most shocking scene I saw on film that year, the actor Tony Goldwyn pulled out a crumpled paper bag and presented Demi Moore with some delectable “Japanese apple pears” – a rare, expensive and little-known treat in America, a gift meant to show his generosity and savoir-faire.
I was aghast. My beloved nashi had been introduced to the American public at last – but as a tool of seduction in the hands of a cold-blooded killer. Oh, the injustice! They might as well have taken those pears, chopped them into tiny pieces and made them into curry!
Well, 23 years later, I have learned that someone did just that.
Job: Project Officer with Peace Winds America (Seattle)
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Thanks to Pacific Northwest JETAA for sharing! Posted by blogger and podcaster Jon Dao (Toyama-ken, 2009-12). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Project Officer
Posted by: Peace Winds America
Location: Eastlake, Seattle, Washington
Type: Full-Time
Salary: Commensurate with Experience
Overview:
The primary responsibility of this position will be on a new disaster preparedness program that focuses on school preparedness. The Project Officer will work closely with the PWA staff to administer this program, which targets the schools, boards of education and emergency operation staff of several cities. Additional duties will include conducting development and fundraising research, grant writing, reporting, and support for other ongoing programs.
Requirements:
- very strong communication and writing skills
- previous experience with development, grantwriting, NGOs, humanitarian work as well as nonprofit fundraising, marketing, and social media strongly preferred
- ability to perform development and program research independently and communicate findings with PWA team
- be highly organized and able to track, coordinate and manage overlapping areas of a program including correspondence, budget, research and grantor requirements
- should have a BA at the minimum; candidates with MA/MS degree are encouraged to apply
- should be comfortable with periodic (one-three times yearly) travel domestically or overseas Read More
Job: Administrative Assistant – Japan & International Programs, North West Student Exchange (Seattle)
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Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Administrative Assistant
Posted by: Japan & International Programs, North West Student Exchange
Hours: 35-40 hours/week
Location: Seattle, Washington
Salary: DOE (includes medical, dental, and vision insurance)
Starting Date: As soon as possible
Overview:
Seattle-based NorthWest Student Exchange (NWSE) is seeking an Administrative Assistant for its Japan and international programs.
Job Duties:
Assist International Program Coordinators with:
- Processing student applications, preparing mailings to program participants, processing and following up on program documents, data entry
- Communicating with coordinators, students, families, schools, and partner organizations
- Japanese-language advising
- Additional projects and tasks as required (e.g. creating marketing materials, school visits, researching exchange-related resources)
Job: Study Abroad Program Coordinator Position at Ohio University (Athens, OH)
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Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Study Abraod Program Coordinator
Posted by: Ohio University
Type: Full-time
Location: Athens, Ohio
Salary: $35,000+ depending upon education and experience. Employees also enjoy a generous benefits package which includes health benefits, paid time off, and educational benefits for employees and eligible dependents.
Application deadline on September 29, 2013
Overview:
Ohio University is hiring a Study Abroad Program Coordinator within the Office of Education Abroad. We seek a candidate with a commitment to working effectively with students, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds.
Job Duties:
- Manage assigned faculty-led study abroad programs.
- Recruit, train and supervise student peer advisors.
- Promote the benefit of education abroad and Ohio University¹s program offerings across its main and regional campuses through presentations, events sponsored by other university offices, and fairs.
- Advise students on study abroad options and follow up with students interested in study abroad.
- Develop and update Education Abroad website and print content as needed.
- Creates and updates advising materials.
JQ Magazine: Book Review – ‘The Accidental Office Lady: An American Woman in Corporate Japan’
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“If you are going to Japan soon, live there now, or have lived there already, this book is a survivor’s guide and tool for reflection and growth. It can help the reader better understand what to do, and what not to do.” (Tuttle)
By Lana Kitcher (Yamanashi-ken, 2010-12) for JQ magazine. Lana is the business development associate for Bridges to Japan and enjoys working as a freelance writer for a number of online publications. To read more about Lana’s adventures in Japan, visit her blog at Kitcher’s Café.
Laura Kriska’s experience as recounted in The Accidental Office Lady parallels in many ways what we as JET participants go through when we temporarily leave our lives and routines at home to pursue the “exotic” and uncertain terrain of a new culture.
Based on Kriska’s background and education, she was offered a two-year position at Honda Motor Company headquarters in Tokyo, being the first American woman to do so. She arrived in Japan equipped with her new business attire and a mind full of expectations and dreams about how the next two years of her life in Tokyo would unfold. She was soon instructed to join the secretariat—coordinating schedules and serving tea to managers in her new, polyester uniform.
Through the course of the book we get to see Kriska transform from a newly minted grad into a successful member of Japanese society. She starts out frustrated by her new environment and deeply disappointed that her job is not all that she hoped it would be. As the book progresses, you start to see that she is losing her childish tendencies to fight back, and eloquently navigating the culture with words and mannerisms instead of outbursts and small rebellions. She takes on more responsibility and in the end is able to create lasting change at Honda with a new employee manual in English and the elimination of the mandatory uniform rule.
Australian JETAA chapters recognized for Tohoku revitalization efforts at CLAIR Sister Cities Forum
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Via the JETAA New South Wales (Australia) website: http://www.jetaansw.org/jets-recognised-in-award/
The work and support by members and participants of the JET Programme and JETAA chapters for the revitalisation of Tohoku after the 2011 earthquake, was formally recognised in an award presentation at the 2013 CLAIR Sister Cities Forum.
Presented by Alderman William (Bill) Willson, President of Sister Cities Australia, the award was received by Ben Trumbell, president of the NSW chapter of JETAA. It was given in the presence of Ms Yoko Kimura, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of CLAIR (Council of Local Authorities for International Relations) and Dr Masahiro Kohara, Consul-General of Japan in Sydney.
“The award was presented to me as the closest president representative of JETAA. In my acceptance speech I outlined the importance of the JET Programme and the number of participants and members of JETAA, along with our objectives and a summary of our activities,” Ben said. “Australia has been fantastic in their response to the events in Tohoku. The Victorian JETAA chapter for example did fantastic work with the Big Bento Lunch initiative which raised more than $15,000 across our chapters.” The NSW chapter’s achievements should also be noted for raising awareness, starting with an exhibition of Fukushima school children’s letters at the 2011 Sydney Japan Festival, which lead to the visit of Councillor Alan de Surf of a junior high school in the city of Iwaki, Fukushima.
The 2013 CLAIR Sister Cities Forum marked the 50th Anniversary of the sister city relationship between Lismore, NSW and Yamato Takada in Nara, Japan. This was the first ever sister city relationship between Australia and Japan and was instrumental in initiating the close post-war relationship that exists between the two countries today, thanks to the efforts of Father Paul Glynn who began the first efforts in forging this link.
The subject of sister cities will continued to be explored by JETAA in the annual JETAA conference to be held later this year in Brisbane. Ben states that he hopes to share ideas and case studies including the Lismore-Yamato Takada story at the conference, as well as looking forward to sharing the award with the other chapters and presenting the certificate to the Australian country representative.
CLAIR Magazine “JET Plaza” series: Ari Kaplan (Hyōgo)
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Each month, current and former JET participants are featured in the “JET Plaza” section of the CLAIR Forum magazine. The September 2013 edition includes an article by JET alumn Ari Kaplan. Posted by Celine Castex (Chiba-ken, 2006-11), currently programme coordinator at CLAIR Tokyo.
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“I still remember the ceremony […] held for departing JET participants when I left my position as an ALT. […] I distinctly recall advising the audience members that I was leaving so that I could return someday.”
Originally from the US, Ari Kaplan (Hyogo-ken, Suzurandai, 1993-94) came to Japan upon graduating from Boston University. He is now a business consultant in New York City and the author of Reinventing Professional Services: Building Your Business in the Digital Market Place (Wiley, 2011), which Akishobo recently released in Japan as ハスラー――プロフェッショナルたちの革新. Learn more at AriKaplanAdvisors.com.
JET Perspective
I still remember the ceremony that the Hyogo Prefectural Board of Education held for departing JET participants when I left my position as an ALT at Kobe Kohoku High School in 1994. The host asked each of us to line up facing the audience, pass a microphone to one another, and share our reason for leaving. I distinctly recall advising the audience members that I was leaving so that I could return someday.
When Akishobo translated my second book, Reinventing Professional Services: Building Your Business in the Digital Workplace (Wiley 2011), into Japanese and released it in Japan last fall, I felt like I had somehow kept my promise. I was also excited to have the opportunity to publicly dedicate it to the JET Programme and the Hyogo Prefectural Board of Education.
I was only 20 years old when in July 1993, following my graduation from Boston University, I took that Japan Airlines flight from New York to Tokyo. Jetlagged the day after I arrived, I went on an early-morning walk into the Tokyo Metro to explore and noticed that there were a few homeless individuals living in refrigerator boxes down below.
As a resident of a major metropolitan city, this sight in Shinjuku station did not surprise me. What struck me, however, was that outside of each box sat a pair of shoes, presumably worn by the occupant inside, highlighting the individual’s personal respect and the extraordinary nature of the place to which I had traveled. Read More
JETwit mentioned in Japan Times article “JET Alumni: Advocates for Japan”
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A great Return On JET-vestment article that ran today in the Japan Times:
JET alumni: Advocates for Japan
Program lauded for continuing to bear cultural fruit, friendships
BY AYAKO MIE
STAFF WRITER
Here’s the full article: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/09/03/national/jet-alumni-advocates-for-japan/#.UiaU_GRATv0
Here’s the quote:
Steven Horowitz, who was a JET in Aichi Prefecture from 1992 to 1994, likened his former colleagues to a global expat community of around 60,000 people in terms of their shared affection for Japan. “I think it is going to pay . . . dividends for years and years to come,” he said.
To consolidate the alumni network, Horowitz runs JETwit.com, a website that accumulates information about alumni and Japan-related jobs.
JQ Magazine: DVD Review – ‘From Up on Poppy Hill’
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“Studio Ghibli films are known for their fantastical animation and surrealistic landscapes. However, Poppy Hill lacks one other crucial element common to Ghibili films: an emotional depth of feeling.” (GKIDS)
By Lyle Sylvander (Yokohama-shi, 2001-02) for JQ magazine. Lyle is entering a master’s program at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University (MIA 2013) and has been writing for the JET Alumni Association since 2004. He is also the goalkeeper for FC Japan, a New York City-based soccer team.
From Up on Poppy Hill is the latest film to be released from Japan’s famed Studio Ghibli. Unlike its more prominent titles, this one is not directed by studio founder Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle) but rather by his son Goro Miyazaki. The father did, however, co-write the script (with Keiko Niwa), which was adapted from a manga published in the 1980s. Goro’s first film, Tales from Earthsea, was a commercial hit but received a very negative reception, even receiving “Worst Director” and “Worst Picture” designations from the Bunshun Raspberry Awards, given annually to the worst in cinema by the Bungeishunju Publishing Company. From Up on Poppy Hill received a much better reception (although many reviews were mixed) and became the highest grossing Japanese film of 2011 and won the 2012 Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year.
The story takes place in Yokohama in 1963, a pivotal point in Japan’s history as the country was preparing for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The nation was on the economic upswing and the Olympics were meant to showcase the “new” Japan as it pushed its postwar ruin firmly into the past. Within this context, Poppy Hill tells two stories, both of which deal with historical consciousness. The first concerns a high school student named Umi, who lives and works in her family’s boarding house. Her father was lost at sea during the Korean War and Umi flies nautical flags daily from her house in order to wish peace upon all sailors. The second story concerns a clubhouse (named the Latin Quarter), which has been slated for demolition to make way for an Olympics-related building. The building is adjacent to Umi’s high school and she meets Shun, the leader of the clubhouse, who also happens to have been decoding her nautical flags each morning. Umi leads an effort to clean up the clubhouse and soon starts to fall in love with Shun.
Job: Postings from Idealist.org 9.2.13
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Via Idealist.org. Posted by Geneva Marie (Niigata-ken 2008-09) Geneva is a contributor to both JETwit and JETAANY. Geneva is on a continuous (epic) search for Japanese-related jobs in the United States. Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
Associate Director
Posted by: City University of New York (CUNY)
Type: Full-time
Location: New York, NY
Salary: $80,000-90,000
Application Deadline: October 7, 2013
he Language and Literacy Program provides educational programs to undereducated New York City adults, in English as a second language and adult literacy/preparation for the high school equivalency credential, serving 10,000 students a year at fourteen CUNY campuses. In concert with the Director, the Associate Director will have broad responsibilities in developing and implementing innovative programming, providing an incubator for new educational approaches; enhancing skills of literacy educators through professional development; maximizing the effectiveness of a range of educational technology applications; managing the programs in the Language & Literacy portfolio, including fiscal management and the assessment and evaluation of student outcomes.Minimum Master’s Degree in education, second language acquisition, public administration/policy, or related discipline, with at least six years relevant experience with immigrant and/or undereducated adult populations.
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/tdpN6Xwg6bfP/
Program Development Officer
Posted by: The Eurasia Foundation
Type: Full-time
Location: New York, NY
Salary: Not Specified
Application Deadline: September 15, 2013
The Program Development Officer is a key member of EF’s Program Development Department and is responsible for supporting EF’s new business efforts in the Eurasia and Asia regions. These countries include the countries of the former Soviet Union as well as select Asian countries, including China, Myanmar and Mongolia. The position will focus primarily on raising USG funds and will support the development of competitive proposals in EF’s core competency areas, including advocacy, NGO strengthening, citizen engagement, civic education and entrepreneurship. Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field is required; Master’s degree strongly preferred.
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/jfJT7FT8Jh8d/
NAWC Counselor (Prospect Park YMCA)
Posted by: YMCA of Greater New York
Type: Full-time
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Salary: Entry Level – $$13.51 P/H – $16.89 P/H
Application Deadline: Not Specified
The YMCA of Greater New York’s New Americans initiative, which serves New York City’ extraordinarily diverse, low-income immigrant and New Americans populations, is seeking an energetic and disciplined individual. This incumbent should be experienced in community outreach and counseling on Job Skills Training & Placement Assistance, Career Counseling and City-wide Services Information and Referrals. The counselor will report to the Program Coordinator of the Prospect Park YMCA New Americans Welcome Center and will be responsible for Community Outreach, Registration/In-Take Assessment and Follow-up, Database and Participant Case Management. Associate’s Degree; Bachelor’s preferred.
http://www.idealist.org/view/job/m8cH2M7SGJNp/
(Click on the “Read More” link for more job descriptions)
AJET Survey: “Life After JET”
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To: All JET Alumni — Please take 15 seconds to complete the “Life After JET” survey that AJET has put together. AJET has done a great job with this year after year, and the results matter–to the JET Programme, to JETAA, and to the future of JET. See below from Yolanda Espiritu of the AJET National Council 2013-14:
I am pleased to inform you that the survey on “Life After JET” is now available. We ask all of our sempai to complete this survey and let us know about “Life After JET.”
“Life After JET” Survey:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LifeAfterJET
Job: Writer/Translator for RocketNews24 English (Online)
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See below for a very interesting writer/translator work opportunity from Michelle Lynn Dinh (Shimane-ken, Chibu-mura, 2010 – 2013), the editor for RocketNews24 English, a website specializing in quirky news from Japan and Asia. Posted by blogger and podcaster Jon Dao (Toyama-ken, 2009-12). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Writer/Translator
Posted by: RocketNews24 English
Type: Freelance
Salary: Calculated on a per article basis + incentive
Overview:
RocketNews24 English is looking to hire a few talented writers to help them grow! Thanks to a lot of hard work and its awesome readers, RockNews24 English is currently making plans to expand its website and increase our daily output. To this end, the site is looking for a couple of talented writers to join the team.
Requirements:
- be creative individuals who write regularly.
- enjoy keeping up to date with current events, trends and pop culture.
- speak/read Japanese well (equivalent to JLPT N2 or better)
- be able to produce five or more articles per week
They are also looking for speakers of Chinese, Korean or other Asian languages. Read More
Kitcher’s Café #002: Staying Connected
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Kitcher’s Café, a new series by Lana Kitcher (Yamanashi-ken, 2010-12) is an assortment of articles, topics and commentary written for the JET Alumni community. Lana currently serves as the Business Development Associate at Bridges to Japan, a New York-based cross-cultural consulting firm founded by JET alum Jennifer Jakubowski (Hokkaido, 1995-97).
Although it has been a full year since my return, I continue to enjoy sharing stories and experiences with my friends from and in Japan. Recently, one of my old colleagues from Yamanashi visited New York for the first time and contacted me through facebook to meet up. I took her and her travel partner to “Penelope,” a small restaurant on E 30th and Lexington Ave in New York. I was pleasantly surprised to see facebook photos of them going there for breakfast every day thereafter for the duration of their trip. It was a great and satisfying feeling to make these arrangements with her and be able to see the results.
As you are settling into a familiar state, maybe even feeling like your time in Japan was actually all a dream – you may wonder how it might be possible to keep up with your friends and colleagues that you met while in Japan. Thanks to social media, staying in touch has never been easier.
I’ll Make It Myself!: Kitchen Library, 2013.8.29: Japanese Food
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L.M. Zoller (CIR Ishikawa-ken, Anamizu, 2009-11) is the editor of The Ishikawa JET Kitchen: Cooking in Japan Without a Fight. The Japan and International Programs Coordinator for NorthWest Student Exchange, ze also writes I’ll Make It Myself!, a blog about food culture in Japan and the US; curates The Rice Cooker Chronicles, a series of essays by JETs and JET alumni on the theme of cooking/eating and being alone in Japan; and admins The JET Alumni Culinary Group on LinkedIn.
Putting the focus on links about Japanese food, I submit for your approval adorable animal doughnuts, what is and isn’t healthy about “the Japanese diet,” wagashi, and more!
Image via Kotaku.
Job: Study Abroad Advisor – Trinity University International Programs Office (San Antonio, TX)
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Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present). Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.
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Position: Study Abroad Advisor
Posted by: International Programs Office, Trinity University
Location: San Antonio, TX
Applications will be received until position is filled.
Overview:
Trinity University is a small (@2400 students), private, primarily Liberal Arts university in San Antonio, Texas. Currently about 47% of the most recent graduating classes completed some part of the degree abroad. Trinity University seeks a Study Abroad Advisor to join the International Programs Office
Requirements:
- Excellent organizational skills
- Work well under pressure
- Have international or intercultural experience
- Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite, Google Drive, Social Media expected
